August update: CSA, etc.

It’s been a busy month! This is why I didn’t want to start blogging again (which I use the term loosely, since I never really picked up much traction to begin with) – I feel so guilty when I don’t post anything! Not a big deal of course – hopefully I can find the time to post more than once monthly – but here are the CSA and non-cooking relating highlights of the month!

Week 5 haul:

• 2 bunches of garlic
  

  Week 5 – CSA Haul

• 1 purple cabbage
• cucumbers
• 6 ears of corn
• small bunch of carrots
• yellow squash
• spring onion (did not take)
• bag of jalapeño peppers

The rest of the month was not photographed (I blame our beach volleyball schedule for that!) but I featured some of the recipes I liked the most below, as well as some of the activities that kept us so busy this month and away from the kitchen!

CSA – Weeks 3 & 4

I knew going into CSA season it might be a little tricky come vacation time. I was correct. No post last week since I didn’t really have enough to post about! And I may or may not be posting this five days after writing it due to my novice editing skills (and frustrations).

Week 3 haul:

Week 3 

• Broccoli
• Chard
• Onion
• Romaine
• Cauliflower
• Yellow Squash
• Basil
• Red Leaf Lettuce
• Radishes

CSA – Week 2

This week proved to be a little challenging with the holiday weekend and long work days that left me not feeling very creative for dinner. I did find a great recipe for curly kale, though! I didn’t get too creative last year with looking for kale recipes so I’m happy to have found a delicious use for it it.

Received Week 2:

• Green Leaf Lettuce (1 head)
• Curly Kale
• Radishes – 2 heads
• Swiss Chard – large bunch
• Spring Onions
• 6 zucchinis (slightly smaller than first week)
• Arugula – large bunch
• Cabbage
• Collards
• Celtuce

CSA – Week 1

So, I’m not really good at blogging which is pretty obvious from my lack of any sort of consistent posting. But I’ve been inspired with the start of the CSA season! The hubs and I get a full share from One Straw Farm weekly on Tuesdays and I’m really curious to see how much of it we use versus waste, and what recipes we end up liking from it. I plan on tracking all the recipes that we make and the different preparations. Like last year, I plan on using as much of what we get as possible — which includes the parts that most people probably waste (for example, I made some delicious stock/broth with the corn cobs last year and can’t wait to do that again!).

May: Highlights

It’s hard to believe that we’re already hitting almost 90 degrees in Baltimore. This month has flown by with lots of beautiful weekends filled with date nights in Federal Hill both with the hubs and girlfriends. Here are the picture highlights !

Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp, Bacon, Chicken

This rice was appointed into the top three of the hubs’ favorite homemade dishes. So I thought it is absolutely necessary to share. I really love eating rice and pasta, specifically, but hate how bloated I feel after. I saw this recipe and thought it would fit perfectly into our repertoire because of our love of fried rice. I also adapted the recipe to what we had on hand, and hope to add more veggies next time we make it. There will certainly be a next time. 

Tax Season Catch-up

So my plan of doing a monthly life re-cap clearly fell apart. I really want to digitally scrapbook the pictures I’ve taken more regularly so I actually remember what we did during the year! Maybe next month I’ll get into a routine… 

Evolution of a Staple: Meat Sauce & Pasta

Everyone has their comfort food, and for years mine has been penne pasta with sauce. For years I tried finding the perfect bottled sauce but nothing ever was quite right.

Somewhere along the way the Hubs and I decided to make our own tomato sauce. We don’t always make it exactly the same way, and never really measure the ingredients, but it always tastes a million times better than jarred. Always.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Spicy Mayo

Finally. I may have let these brussels sprouts sit longer than I intended but I finally attempted to roast them after having a similar dish at a few restaurants nearby the past couple of years (Bluegrass Tavern was the best, btw).

Our honeymoon!

I guess there is no better place to start a newlywed’s blog than with some honeymoon pictures! My goal in blogging is just to have a (digital) place to look back and have a collection of memories documented – and I am a LONG time lurker/follower of many different types of blogs – so it’s about time that I have my own. Or at least try.

We traveled to Petit St. Vincent – an island within the country of St. Vincent and the Grenandines. I’m still not really clear if it’s categorized as the West Indies or the Caribbean – regardless, it was perfect and beautiful and I can’t wait to one day return. Most of these pictures were taken from my Iphone, and the last few from our GoPro camera.